Dov Lipman talks about the work of Innovation Africa, transforming millions of lives through providing clean water and electricity for entire villages, schools and hospitals, and ensuring that the local people take ownership of the project and maintain it.

It seems so simple and yet the world hasn't discovered it, there are all kinds of innovations that we are coming up with and again like I said to see them trained and transform barren land into these beautiful crops. You can go onto our website and see pictures of what is happening there, it's nothing short of God's work.

Paul: Is this also helping and preserving Christian communities?

Dov: So here's an element which we didn't know when we started. We started going village by village and then all of a sudden people said to us, "Thank you for helping us remain Christian" and we are thinking to ourselves what are they talking about? Then we found out that there are radical Islamic forces that go village by village and they say we will give you water, we will give you electricity but you must convert from Christianity to Islam.
Here we are coming in from Israel providing them with all the energy needs for the villages and we are not asking for anything in return. Stay Christian, stay true to your faith that is the Israeli mind-set and that is certainly the Judeo-Christian ethic and value we share together. Low and behold we find out that by bringing electricity and water to villages they are able to stay true to their Christian faith. We are actually preventing these forced conversions, another element where the blessing comes in. You start doing one thing good and you realise other blessings and that's why also, I have no doubt, that our partners that come together and help us, that they will receive greater blessings as well because they are helping Christians stay true to their faith.

Paul: How does Africa feel about Israel?

Dov: There is a transformation which is taking place, we see the communities, the people thanking Israel. You know Israel around the world is scorned and people say we are horrible and evil, but we are the ones who are fulfilling this mission to be a light unto the nations. We are going in and helping Africa, African governments are working together with us and we have a wonderful relationship with them. This is not why we are doing the work that we do, but there is no doubt that a by-product of it is changing hearts and minds in terms of Israel and realising all the good that Israel brings into the world and all the blessing that a Jewish state in the land of Israel can provide for the entire world.

Paul: It can change Africa as well, because Israel has changed, it used to be a barren land.

Dov: It's amazing you go back to the Bible and it says that the Jewish people will be exiled from the land of Israel. It says straight out in Leviticus and Deuteronomy that the land will remain barren, it will be desolate, nothing will grow here and sure enough for 2000 years nothing grew here. Then you look at the prophets and they say, "A time will come when that barren land will refurnish again." For 2000 years, people of faith around the world I have no doubt have believed those prophecies. You don't have to believe them anymore, they are happening in front of our eyes, the land of Israel is refurnishing and what greater thanks to God for that miracle to take place can there be than taking all that we have learned from that process and helping others around the world as well. Therefore the vision of a flourishing Africa, of an Africa filled with hope and a bursting economy is not something which is foreign to us, because we have done that here in the land of Israel, and now we just want to transport that and share that with others around the world.

Paul: Why do you do what you do?

Dov: I was a member of the Knesset when I first met Sivan Ya'ari, who is the CEO and founder of Innovation Africa. I was in the middle of a day of meetings and I met Sivan for just a few minutes and I said when she walked out the room, "When I grow up I want to be like her." Just doing pure good, to be human beings and say, "It's not just for me. I want to share what I have with others." That's just the purest good there can be, there is a feeling that we are partnering with God in providing. Just seeing the looks on the faces of the people when they receive the water or when they receive the electricity, that is the greatest blessing that there can be, we do it because we are here to do good.

Paul: What is your prayer for Africa?

Dov: My prayer for Africa is that every single village, we should be able to look back years from now and not have this crazy figure of 300 million people who haven't had clean water. My prayer is that everybody has access to clean water and that everyone has access to electricity, that everyone has access to a future and an economy and raising their children according to the faith and values they believe in with hope for the future.

That is our prayer for Africa, we believe all people are created in God's image, as it says right in the beginning of Genesis and we are here to try to be partners in that process. We pray that every single human being around the world and in this case we are focusing on Africa, has hope for a wonderful future and that everyone can live wonderful lives.

Paul: What is your website for people who'd like to know more about the project or even like to give to the project?

Dov: www.innoafrica.org or my personal email is dov@innoafrica.org, please get in touch with us we accept donations of all shapes and sizes. Every single bit makes a difference.

We are also looking for people who want to sponsor big projects. If someone has the wherewithal and 18 thousand dollars, to know that you're providing electricity for a school, helping hundreds and hundreds of children have a future, to provide electricity for a medical centre, 18 thousand dollars and you can be the person responsible for that and partner with us to do this work of God. Those who can dream even bigger, water projects are 50 thousand dollars and you're providing for an entire few villages.

The money goes right to those projects, you will be seeing exactly how it happens. People can even come to Africa, and turn on the light switch for the first time in that school and medical centre. They can come to Africa and turn the spigot for the first time and have the water come out. We look for partners who believe in this mission who believe in just doing good, who believe in just helping others who believe in making a real difference in the world and doing God's work.

Like you have pointed out, just like we have been blessed, those who bless us are blessed, and hopefully all those who partner together with us whether it's a smaller donation or taking on a full project, hopefully they will receive that divine blessing as well.